The Accident
by Olivia Joanne Rodrigues
Summary: An accident that occurs has some terrifying consequences not just for one member of the team. They say that what doesn't kill only makes you stronger...
1. A Beautiful Day

_Authors note: These characters do not belong to me. I don't own them. All storylines are completely made up and my own creations. Suggestions are welcome. _

* * *

A voice cried out, piercing the darkness of the night, calling out frantically and in urgency -

 ** _"Penny? PENNY?! Wake up!"_**

* * *

 **Chapter 01: A Beautiful Day**

It was a beautiful day in August. The sun was shining, but one could feel that tiny nip in the air -reminding you that autumn was near.

Pontypandy's finest were going to have another training day today, well at least most of them were.

Sam Jones, everyone's hero next door and leading firefighter at the Pontypandy fire station, was currently engaged in rolling up the fire hoses that were drying out in the sun.

Elvis Cridlington, was upstairs in the kitchen, preparing lunch and tea for the team, while Ellie Phillip and Arnold McKinley were giving Jupiter, the pump ladder appliance a wash.

Penny Morris, however, had to visit the Newtown Fire Academy. She was giving the trainee firefighters a course on underwater rescues. And of course, the equipment Ben had requisitioned for the Ocean Rescue Centre two weeks earlier had arrived at the Newtown Fire Station. They were ready to be collected and he had offered to pick up the equipment from the station.

Ben walked into the Pontypandy fire station. The team was all occupied in the daily work around the fire station.

"Morning Ben" called Sam, as he packed away the dried out hoses into Jupiter. "Nice to see you around here"

"Morning Sam. Have you seen Penny? We were supposed to go to Newtown today"

"Right here Ben" And with that Penny came sliding down the fireman's pole. Penny was dressed in her station uniform and ready to go.

"Picking up the equipment for the Ocean Rescue Center today, are we Penny?" asked Sam.

"Actually Ben is going to pick it up, they are the spares for Neptune and Juno. I'm just giving him a ride. I'm heading off to Newtown Academy to teach our trainee firefighters a thing or two about Ocean Rescues. Would you like to join us?" asked Penny

"Ah no, Penny. I believe Chief Fire Officer Boyce specifically requested for you" smirked Sam

"Yes Sam, since you said you had ample amount of work around here to do" finished Penny "Anyway let's get going Ben, I want to make it back to Pontypandy by lunchtime."

"Have fun you two"

* * *

A couple of hours into the shift, the team were all ready to begin their ocean rescue training session. Sam had driven off with Mercury about a while ago, looking for a place to hide on the open sea, leaving the rest of the team to prepare for the mock search and rescue. Ellie, Arnold and Elvis were ready to begin the drill.

Station Officer Steele gave one last briefing before they headed off to our respective vehicles.

"Elvis and Ellie? You will search for Sam in Neptune," Station Officer Steele instructed. "Arnold? You will join Tom in Wallaby Two. You all need this training just as much, so don't start getting too confident about your abilities. I'll coordinate the entire search from here"

"Yes, sir!" the team replied in unison.

"Excellent! Stay in full radio contact. I will be accessing you on every action you take. Are you ready for your search and rescue drill?"

Tom started taking off into the sky with Arnold on board, while Elvis and Ellie drove off o he Ocean Rescue Centre. They quickly donned their ocean rescue uniforms and boarded Neptune. Apart from Penny, Sam and Elvis were the only other firefighters qualified to drive Neptune.

The drill went smoothly without any trouble. With Arnold directing every move from the helicopter, they found Sam quite quickly as Sam had chosen to hide out near the lighthouse. Hen as expected, Ellie carried out the perfect procedures on Sam, checking for dehydration and any injuries. Then lowering the harness, they quickly secured Sam to Wallaby 2.

"Good job team. You have successfully completed the ocean rescue raining" announced Station Officer Steele, as Sam was lowered backed onto Neptune. "Report back to the station"

Once back, Station Officer Steele wasted no time in debriefing them. The team was all assembled inside the Briefing Room. Arnold, Ellie, Elvis and Sam stood 'at ease' as Station Officer Steele gave the results of his assessment and recommendations of the drill. All in all the drill was a successful one.

Sam made his way into the kitchen after the briefing and went to the cupboard to fetch some plates for lunch. Elvis began to serve lunch while Arnold settled in and grabbed the newspaper from the chair. Today's lunch was Shepard pie, courtesy of Firefighter Cridlington.

"This is delicious" muttered Ellie, through spoonfuls of pie.

"Yes, indeed" said Arnold

"Glad you like it. Wish Penny were here. She absolutely loves Sheppard's pie and It isn't often that I get to make one for lunch" replied Elvis.

"Yes Elvis, it isn't often that we get to eat it either" said Sam, causing Ellie to giggle "Anyway I wonder what's going on at the academy"


	2. Doing what we do best

_Authors note:_ _These characters do not belong to me. I don't own them. All storylines are completely made up and my own creations. Suggestions are welcome._

* * *

 **Chapter 02: Doing What We Do Best**

Penny had just spent most of the morning at a meeting with Chief Fire Officer Boyce. Officer Boyce was keen on having her around Newtown Fire Academy more often, given that she was now a leading firefighter and the only certified scuba diver and trained lifeguard from the Academy.

Ocean rescues were something she had not really given much thought of when she started her career. She always wanted to be a firefighter but when the opportunity arose, she immediately took on scuba diving classes and attended basic lifeguard's course. Of course, as time passed her passion increased and she went on to taken an intermediate course in scuba diving while at the same time Pontypandy was having the boathouse built.

While she advanced in skill, she always thought of being lucky to have been stationed in Pondypandy, under Firefighter Sam Jones, the hero-next-door. She was fortunate to have him mentor her.

"I wonder what they're up to now." It had been rather boring, and all Penny wanted to do was to get back to Pontypandy and back to the training exercises the team was having that morning. While she had finished the class with the trainee firefighters, she and Boyce had spent the remaining day discussing all sorts of improvements that could be made at the fire station but most importantly the changes to some of the rescue procedures.

However, the real reason Boyce had called her out to Newtown that day was to offer her a leading firefight position at Abershire, a neighboring seaside town. Boyce felt that having two leading firefighters at Pontypandy was a waste of great talent that could be put to use elsewhere. Abershire needed an expert in ocean rescues and Penny was more than qualified to take on that role.

But Penny had no interest in taking up the job. It would be a great boost to her career, but she loved her position at Pontypandy. After all, there were plenty of ocean rescues that needed her help – like the time Norman decided to use Joe Sparks Submarine to film the Pontypandyness monster or Charlie, Bronwyn and Ben lost at sea while looking for whales, or her favorite - Tom getting lost at sea while taking an afternoon snooze.

She firmly turned down the offer. Boyce, however, was adamant.

"Think about it, Firefighter Morris. This is a chance to also become station officer at Abershire fire station. Don't make this decision in haste, it is a wonderful opportunity. I'll give you some time to make your decision"

And with that Boyce finished up the meeting and left.

It had otherwise been a quiet day in Pontypandy, for a change. Inside the fire station, Sam and the team were getting settled in for the night shift. The team assessment had gone well. Towards evening, thick clouds began to roll in and now the rain had begun to fall. Station Officer Steele was downstairs in his office, preparing to head home for the night.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Elvis was writing a new song, while Ellie had the spooky storybook which she had borrowed from Sam. It was the same book that Penny had given him during one of their shifts and Ellie had been keen on reading it for several days now.

The Map Screen 700 started to sound. "An oil tanker en route to Newtown has overturned on the Newtown Road near the forest trails" it announced.

"An oil tanker en route to Newtown has overturned on the Newtown Road near the forest trails" announced Station officer Steele over the announcement system.

"Come on team let's go!" called Sam as the crew rushed towards the poles. Down slid Sam and Elvis, while Ellie and Arnold stopped their cleaning chores and hurried inside to don their uniforms and helmets.

Elvis and Arnold rushed into Jupiter while Sam got onto Mercury. Ellie went into Phoenix as this would be the job of a heavy lifting vehicle like this.

"Sam to Wallaby 2, there has been an accident involving an oil tanker and we need assistance immediately", called Sam as he began to give Tom the details of the accident.

"No problem mate" answered Tom," I'll be here as soon as I can". The team then immediately started towards the accident site.

As he reached the site, Sam caught sight of the accident. Apparently, the oil tanker had veered off the road when the driver lost control.

Sam quickly asked for Ellie to stabilize Phoenix, while Arnold and Elvis secure the oil tanker. Luckily the tanker had not burst into flame or else it would have been a major accident. He had seen one such accident before in Cardiff and it was not a pretty sight – the oil tanker had exploded, setting fire to a number of vehicles. As the tanker sat on the side of the road, fuel had begun to leak out in large pools causing the fire. At least nine people had died in that crash

He wasn't going to let that happen. At least there were no visible oil spills. He ordered Elvis and Arnold to quickly lay down sticky foam around the tanker, while he and Ellie helped lift it back up.

Sam then got around to helping the vehicle's driver — who was trapped in the front cabin following the accident.

"There you go Sir, safe and sound. However, you should be careful on these roads. It could have been a very bad accident" said Sam "But, how come you are you carrying fuel through these parts of town?" he continued.

Apparently Mason – the driver – said that he was delivering an unscheduled fuel consignment as the fuel drop-off for Newtown was late and a last-minute request had been put in. As a result, he'd been put on duty to make the drop-off when it should have been his day off.

As the team began to pack up their equipment, Sam cautioned Mason to take it slow on the road, it looked like it was going to rain soon.

"Thank you Fireman Sam" replied Mason as he inspected the tanker, waiting for the tow truck to take the vehicle. It was better this way as Sam was uncertain if the vehicle had been damaged during the accident.

The team had packed off all the equipment and had helped to clean up the road. Once done, they began to head back to the fire station.


	3. The Past is never Dead

_Authors note: These characters do not belong to me. I don't own them. All storylines are completely made up and my own creations. New updates have been made to previous chapters. Suggestions are welcome._

* * *

 **Chapter 03:** **The past is never dead**

Penny started the drive back to Pontypandy along with Ben. The equipment was safely stowed in the lower back compartment of Venus.

"Thanks for helping out today Penny" said Ben gratefully. Penny nodded in acceptance. "It was nothing really Ben", she smiled.

As they reached the turning onto Newtown Road, she heard Sam calling over the radio.

"Sam to Penny, come in Penny. What's your status?" called Sam.

"Penny to Sam. We've picked up all the equipment and have left Newtown. Heading back your way now, Sam" replied Penny.

"Alright Penny, we will see you in a while"

It had begun to rain and the roads were soon wet and slippery. Penny being a careful driver slowed down & turned on the high beam lights on Venus.

"You are awfully quiet Penny, is something wrong?" asked Ben

"Huh?"

"On the way to Pontypandy you were quite chatty, had lots to say if you ask me. However, you've grown quiet, as if deep in thought ever since you met up with Chief Officer Boyce. What's wrong?"

"Oh it is nothing Ben" said Penny, deep in thought

"Okay….if you don't' want to talk about it, then that's fine"

"It's nothing like that Ben" said Penny as turned over to Ben. "Chief Officer Boyce has offered me a new position at Abershire Fire Station" she replied showing Ben the offer letter as she kept on driving.

"This is great Penny, to be a Leading firefighter at Abershire, Congrats"

"Yeah Ben, a few years back I would have jumped at this opportunity. But I don't want to go. I love working here at Pondypandy. It is my home now" she replied with a sunken hear. "The Chief Officer thinks I'm throwing it all away".

"Do what is right always, Penny! I'd suggest you follow our heart, the team will always back you in whatever decision you take"

"Now I know what Sam felt like when he was offered a position in Newtown"

Suddenly Penny lost control over Venus. The fire tender shot off the road and spun quite a few times before coming to a halt – on the fencing at the edge of a high cliff.

* * *

While it began to rain, inside the Pontypandy firestation the team were busy with the rest of the evening chores. Sam had a growing pile of paperwork waiting for him. He had just made himself comfortable at his desk all while preparing to dive into the paperwork when the unmistakable beeping sound came from the Map Screen 700 indicating an emergency. Just then the alarm began ringing.

"So much for a quiet evening" muttered Arnold as the team leaped up.

Station Officer Steele's voice came over the loudspeakers while they slid down the fireman's pole. "There has been an accident on the Newtown Road. Firefighter Morris and Lifeguard Hooper are trapped inside Venus"

Sam felt a knot form in the pit of my stomach. He had heard from them a while ago and Penny assured him that all was fine. The drive should not have taken them more than 2 hours, even in this weather. Something must have gone wrong on the way back.

"I'll take Mercury, the rest of you'll take Jupiter! Be careful as the roads will be slippery and visibility will be low because of all this rain"

Sam called out as he and the team grabbed their uniforms and firefighting helmets. Elvis was already in the driver's seat and ready to go by the time Ellie and Arnold climbed up. He turned on Jupiter's siren and followed Sam as they began to drive towards Newtown road.

* * *

Ben slowly started to regain consciousness. He looked around winching to hear the sound of the ocean waves. Venus creaked as he tried to move. Nothing felt broken except to the extreme pain in his head. He looked over seeing only to find Penny unconscious.

"Penny?" He called, trying to get free. He tried his best to get out of the seat belt, but the sharp pain in his head made it very difficult to concentrate on the task. He heard the rescue tender creak again. Ben realized that they were on a steep cliff near the lighthouse. Having not heard from Penny, he turned again to look over to where she was and saw blood dripping down from her head.

He called out again and again but the pain in his head lulled him to sleep and soon he lost conscious once again.

* * *

It was difficult to drive quickly and safely in the downpour, but years of experience had taught Sam just how much he could push Mercury. Spotting the flashing blue lights of Venus, he slowed down.

"I wonder what's going on?" he said before he slowed down. It was the same spot where oil tanker had broken down earlier today. He noticed the skid marks, the broken branches of the tree. He then felt the tires of Mercury skid a little and tried his best to regain control.

"Elvis, you need to stop Jupiter immediately! Do not bring her much further" order Sam urgently. He could see that Elvis has halted Jupiter in the nick of time.

'What's up, Sam?" asked Arnold came over with Elvis and Ellie.

"Look!"

The team could see a big black puddle on the road. Sam immediately gathered what had happened. Oil from the tanker they had rescued earlier had leaked and caused a big spill in the middle of the road. It was now raining heavily and apparently, this had caused Venus to skid off the road and land near the edge of the cliff.

'This is bad, very bad'


	4. To save the life of a friend

_Authors note: These characters do not belong to me. I don't own them. All storylines are completely made up and my own creations._

* * *

 **Chapter 04** : **To save the life of a friend**

"We need to call the paramedics", ordered Sam as his firefighter instincts kicked in.

"Elvis, I need to secure Venus. See if you can stabilize Jupiter. We need to use the tow line.

Arnold, I need you to help me secure Venus to the tow line on Jupiter. Also, give Nurse Flood a call. Tell her that we need her urgently. Ask Tom to pick her up, then get down here as quickly as they can.

Ellie you're with me"

'Roger that Sam" and with that everybody snapped into attention and ran out to carry on with their assigned tasks.

As they ran towards Venus, Ellie could see the rescue tender edging closer towards the cliffs. A couple of stray pieces of fencing started to fall off the cliff.

Sam and Ellie soon made their way towards the rescue tender sitting precariously at the edge of the cliff. Wooden fencing had been installed over the last year as a preventive measure and right now that was the only thing preventing Venus from going over the edge.

Venus creaked as Sam reached over to check Ben. Ben jumped awake, feeling disorientated.

"Ben?"

"Sam….what's going on?

"I'll explain later Ben, but right now I think we need to get you and Penny out of here" he said, reaching over to undo the seat belt.

"Sam! I can't rouse Penny" said Ellie, trying to carefully shake Penny awake but unable to wake the blonde firefighter.

* * *

Penny couldn't remember much of what happened at the time of the crash.

She knew that the position Chief Officer Boyce had offered her at Abershire was playing on her mind - ever since leaving Newtown. But somehow memory failed her at this point.

There had been a squeaking noise; a rustle of leaves, or some kind of foliage as they probably went through the trees.

They? Of course, Ben had been with her in Venus.

There was a smell of burning rubber as she had slammed onto the brakes, hoping that Venus would hold. But she had veered too far and began to spin out of control.

But that was all background fill. The only thing that stood out clearly in her mind was her own petrified scream and the thought of never seeing the team again.

* * *

"Ellie, let's try to get them both safely out of Venus" instructed Sam.

"Hold on, Penny", said Ben. Sam stumbled towards the rescue tender, the mud on the cliff now soft in the lashing rain.

"It's no good Sam. I'm trying. The door won't open" Ellie yelled again.

The jolting roused Penny.

"Hey, Penny! You're awake-" Sam looks over at Penny who looked around, much disoriented.

'Concussion' he concluded from the way she was responding to the situation and the fact that she was bleeding down the side of her face.

Ellie wondered how Sam could keep his calm in a situation like this. Internally she was freaking out. Her team, her best friend was injured and all she wanted to do was get them to safety. Suddenly Venus creaked again.

"Great fires of London" Sam mutters. "We need to get them both on stable ground."

Sam and Ellie gently work on lifting Penny out of Venus. "Be careful, Ellie" cautions Sam but the warning came a bit too late as Penny screamed out in pain, ending on a sob. Sam immediately shushes her, comforting her with soothing words. A few tears leak from her eyes but the pain is too much and she loses consciousness once more.

"No Penny! You've got to stay awake. Wallaby 2 is about to land" pleaded Sam.

"Please stay awake, Penny" replied Ellie. But it soon became apparent that Penny was unconscious and needed to get to the hospital quickly.

After a very long time, they finally got her out and strapped onto a stretcher. By then Wallaby2 had landed and Nurse Flood was rushing over with her kit in hand. Sam began to fill her in on Penny's condition.

As Nurse Flood checked on Penny, she noted the additional cuts and bruises that had not been spotted before. Placing an oxygen mask gently over Penny's nose and mouth, she tried to rouse the blond firefighter.

"Penny, can you hear me?"

Not getting any response, they quickly carried her towards the helicopter. Sam guided Ben to another stretcher while Nurse Flood continued to work on Penny, sticking an IV into her. They loaded her into Wallaby 2.

"You too, Ben," said Nurse Flood as Sam helped Ben into the helicopter

"How is she, Helen?" asked Ben as he settled inside the helicopter.

"She's not doing too great. She's unconscious, possibly from the crash and I can't really tell you how serious her injuries are" Helen sighed, "Her best chance right now would be at the hospital "

"Where are you taking her?" asked Sam

"Newtown Academy Hospital. I'll update you when we get there"


End file.
